Laren Long / The Post-StandardCelebrity chef Mario Batali demonstrates his style of cooking Wednesday at the New York State Fair.

If you can't stand the heat, you were probably better off not sitting or standing in front of celebrity chef Mario Batali's portable kitchen at the state fair's Chevy Court on Wednesday.

But if you wanted to learn about simple but good Italian cooking from someone who is exuberant about that subject -- even in 90-plus degree heat -- you were in the right place.

Best known as the star of such Food Network shows as "Molto Mario," "Iron Chef" and "Ciao America," Batali entertained the crowd with culinary demonstrations, a little humor and a question-and-answer session. In one case, a woman simply asked if she could have a hug (which she got).

He made a point of cooking with as many New York state-grown or produced products as possible -- everything, he said, except the pasta, the olive oil and olives.

Italians love to use local ingredients, he said, noting that the Italian definition of local is something that "smells like the ground after it rains, wherever they are."

Batali told the audience that while celebrity chefs like himself and Emeril Lagasse have become rock stars in the past decade, that's going to change.

"The next rock stars are the farmers, my friends," he said.

He advised those who want to cook just to be on TV not to do it. Cooking, he said, is "about giving something to people. If you want to be on TV, become an actor. You have a better chance."

Among his dishes were a pasta made with guanciale (a type of Italian bacon) called "alla Amatriciana" and a pizza made with capers, chili pepper flakes, and a little tomato and pecorino cheese. Both dishes stress the base -- the pasta or the pizza dough, over the toppings, which he called "condiments."

He said his favorite style of Italian cooking is one that keeps it simple.

"Put anything on it," he said. "But what you don't want is to put too much of any one thing."

"The bread is still the boss of the situation," he said of his approach to pizza.

In the end, he told the audience: "We made it simple. We made it delicious. And we made it Italian."